Page 9 of Vicious Sabotage

Livia started toward him but before she could take a step, Wolfe wedged himself between them.

He tapped the guy on the shoulder. “Hey, buddy. Time to go.”

He looked up at the big brick wall that called himself Wolfe. His eyes didn’t clear but his lips twisted in anger. “Don’t touch me!”

Livia had seen this a time or twenty. She rushed over. “Hey, Roger, it’s time to go. Come back another time.”

When he didn’t move, Wolfe gripped him by the back of the shirt and ripped him out of his chair. “I said—”

The customer cocked his fist.

Livia squeezed between them again. “Rog! Listen to me—don’t make this difficult. End the night on a high note. What do you say?”

Her customer stared at her for a long minute and then shook off Wolfe’s hand.

As she herded the customer toward the door, she caught the quirk of the bouncer’s lips.

What the heck did he have to be amused over? Well, he sure wouldn’t be wearing that tilted smile when she fired him. And if he believed she was paying him for his night of work, he was dead wrong.

“Roger, is your son coming to pick you up tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

After she shut the door behind the customer and locked it, she turned to Wolfe, arms folded. “You can go now. I won’t be needing you tomorrow. Big Dan will be in.”

He arched a brow. When she noticed his hard lips were still lifted at one corner in amusement, her stomach gave a very…unwanted…flutter.

He took a step toward her.

Livia planted her feet on the worn floorboards and stood her ground. After all, she owned this bar.

Wolfe’s stare burned into hers.

A gulp rose in her throat.

She was not going to back down. She owned this bar.

Her foot edged backward as if it had a mind of its own and wasn’t going to stay in place no matter how much willpower she exerted.

“I said you can leave!”

He leaned even closer, filling her nose with the scent of fresh musk and pine.

“You’re cute, Livia. Not only will I be back here tomorrow…but I’m going home with you tonight.”

* * * * *

She was damn adorable when she was fuming. Ever since he dropped the bomb on her that she couldn’t shake him off so easy, she’d been worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

She had it trapped there now. The pink flesh didn’t deserve such torture.

“You don’t have to take out your frustration on your lip.”

She jerked her head toward him. That was when he noticed her dimple.

It dipped in and out of her cheek.

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